The legendary Greek philosopher Aristotle once said that man is a social animal. Due to this reason, you and I may find it hard to live alone or be separated from everyone at work for a long time. That’s why it’s not surprising to learn that you have developed work from home anxiety.
Some may find the work-from-home setup as something advantageous to them for a number of reasons, including the fact that they don’t need to travel or commute to work. You may also think that way until work from home anxiety kicks in.
Not only that, but you may also begin to feel anxious about other things that you need to do at home. Do you feel like you are doing too many chores now that you are at home? Do you think that you are not getting enough rest and your schedule is messed up due to work from home anxiety?
6 Tips to Deal with Work from Home Anxiety
Here are 6 important tips that teach you how to deal with work from home anxiety as you begin working from home.
Tip #1: Mark Your Own Workspace or Specific Work Area
Even though you are following a work-from-home setup it does not mean that you can do the house chores and your office work at the same time. It would be hard for you to stay focused when you do your office work in the kitchen while you cook for your family. You will get tired easily when you do that and will only suffer from stress and anxiety.
It is suggested that you should do your office work within your designated space. It is important to mark your designated office work area and not to let a member of your household get access to it. Your designated work area could be a room that no one uses, a big enough storage area, or any available space in your home.
If it is an open space, you can put temporary partition walls to preserve the privacy of your work area. You may also use curtains and blinds as partitions.
You also need to have a family meeting to discuss the role of each member and the areas that are off-limits to other members of the household. Make your family understand that your workspace is yours alone. You will feel at ease knowing that no one will disturb your place and remain focused on your work. Also, define the role of each member of your household.
Tip #2: Create a Suitable Schedule and Stick to It
To create a suitable and efficient work schedule, you need to learn to manage your time and work from home anxiety properly. If you are working from home and need to follow the 9 to 5 office hours, make sure to keep it that way. You may need to delegate some of the house chores to the members of your family to ease your worries.
You may want to consider meal prepping and prepare a week’s worth of family meals. You can do the preparation on weekends and let your family help you out. That way, you don’t need to wake up at the crack of dawn just to prepare the meals that your family will eat from breakfast to dinner.
Design a system that allows you to keep the house clean even though you are working in your day job at home. You may instruct your children to return the things to their proper places and practice segregation. Make it a rule in your home that no one should leave any clutter around and always pick things that are in the way.
You may also want to insert some breaks or room for adjustment in your work schedule in case there’s an emergency or urgent business that you need to attend to first. That way, you can still finish the tasks that you have for that day. Emergencies are something that you are not prepared for, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about adjusting your schedule.
Tip #3: Always Practice Self-Care and Stay Healthy
Self-care, according to the World Health Organization, involves taking every step you can to take care of your well-being and physical health. It includes seeking medical care whenever you need one, managing things that stress you out, eating a nutritious and balanced meal, and maintaining good hygiene. Self-care is doing everything you can to help yourself achieve the comfort and relaxation that you seek.
Don’t wait for work from home anxiety and stress to get the best of you before you start practicing self-care. You need to practice self-care every day to keep anxiety at bay. You should exercise regularly to keep your body fit and energetic, and your brain sharp.
You may also incorporate mindfulness meditation as part of your daily self-care routine. You may choose to spend 5 to 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation to feel refreshed and relaxed.
If you have a morning routine, you may continue doing it before you start your day. It can help you feel calm, refreshed, and creative. It is also the time when you can listen to your body before you start working. You need to make sure that your body is in tip-top shape before you begin working or apply the necessary remedy when there’s a problem.
Tip #4: Set Realistic Expectations and Define Sensible Goals
You may have already asked yourself so many times how to deal with anxiety, especially work from home anxiety. You may have noble reasons for setting the bar high when it comes to things that you want to achieve, but you will only end up frustrated when you have unrealistic expectations. You should know yourself better than anyone else, and it is better to set reasonable daily goals and expectations than feel like you’re a loser when you don’t achieve them.
To achieve something bigger than what you have, you may need to assess your current skills. Accept the fact that you are lacking and try to determine the things that you need to learn so you can achieve the bigger goals that you have in mind. You just need to acquire the skills that can help you fulfill your bigger expectations.
For now, you should aim for goals that your current skills can help you achieve. Don’t be so hard on yourself and take it one step at a time until you can confidently set the bigger goals, which you are positive to achieve due to your newly acquired skills. Setting realistic expectations allows you to see for yourself the things that you still need to improve on.
Tip #5: Declutter Your Desk, Computer, and Home
When you are dealing with work from home anxiety, it is important to keep things organized and orderly in order to avoid work from home anxiety. Just by looking at the cluttered areas and spots in your home and workspace, you may feel that your stress and anxiety levels begin to rise. What about when you look at your cluttered computer desktop?
When you declutter, make sure to do it thoroughly. Don’t leave any cluttered spot if you don’t want it to spoil your mood. A cluttered spot, no matter how small, will stick out like a sore thumb that will keep bothering you.
Lots of studies proved that decluttering can enhance your well-being, productivity, concentration, and creativity. Clutter can easily distract your mind, and its absence can help put your mind at ease.
The seemingly innocent picture frames on your desk can be considered clutter. You don’t need too many pictures of your family on your work desk just to get inspiration. The picture frames occupy too much space, which can be used to accommodate your work.
Once you have finished decluttering, see to it that the room will remain in its orderly, neat, and clean condition for a long time. Cleaning the house or your workspace can eat a lot of time, which you can spend more productively.
Tip #6: Spend Some Time to Socialize via the Different Video Chat Platforms
If you are having some trouble with your office work, don’t hesitate to reach out to your boss, colleagues, and office friends to help you out to avoid work from home anxiety. You can avoid wasting too much time thinking about the most fitting solution when you can ask for an immediate answer right away. Keep in mind that no rule says you can’t ask for help when you find yourself in a pinch.
You may also take advantage of the different video chat platforms to talk to your officemates or friends and stay connected. All of the participants in the video meeting can prevent boredom from ruining your day. Virtual social breaks can help a lot in creating a good social environment for everyone.
Set a schedule or time when you can socialize via video chat. If you plan to do it regularly, don’t forget to incorporate it into your schedule or make proper adjustments to accommodate the virtual meetings. You also need to take your family time into consideration.
Dealing with work from home anxiety seems daunting, but that is not the case. Just remember and apply these tips, and you will soon feel at ease when you work from home.
